Share-A-Craft: Knit Shrug--Gaia Pattern

Share-A-Craft is just as much fun as a tilt-a-whirl, but with less stomach upset and possible vomiting. Every Monday, I post a project of any type that I've recently or not so recently done. If you want to share right back, I'd love to see what you've been making.

I think when I was looking for a pattern to knit a shrug, I looked through all of Ravelry's 1464 shrug patterns, looking for the perfect one to go over my dress for the formal dinner on the cruise (hey, I don't get to dress up much, so I went all out). I finally settled on this pattern, Gaia. I'm not really a fan of paying for patterns, but this one was only $3.00 and I really loved it. It's pretty ingenious and very easy to knit. All you need to know is knit and purl and how to knit in a straight line--there is also a little crochet to do the edge, but you can skip that and still get a very similar effect. The cool part is how it's put together.

I made mine out of llama/silk and mohair/silk blends. I actually went to a real yarn store and bought good yarn and I'm so glad I did. Not only does it look good, but it feels so soft. I spent $37 on the yarn, but I have some leftover. I probably have enough to do a hat, so cost-wise, it's not too bad. I think I spent four or five hours knitting it. It's a very loose knit, so it goes quickly, but you have to knit quite the length (40" or so depending on your measurements!).

I wish I had stretched the back a little more as I'd sewn the "sleeves" because I'd like a little more coverage in the arms, but I love the way the back looks. I also didn't do a lot of blocking, because it's a very loose knit I didn't want my skin to start showing through too much.